Oil edges below $99 after gains on signs of improving U.S. economyDecember 24, 2013 - 14:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Oil prices edged further down below $99 Tuesday, Dec 24, after gaining more than $2 last week on signs of improvement in the U.S. economy, the Associated Press reports. Benchmark U.S. oil for February delivery was down 20 cents to $98.71 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Last week, oil rose nearly 3 percent after positive economic news that the U.S. economy had accelerated to 4.1 percent growth in the third quarter raised expections of increased demand. Additional worry over strife in South Sudan that has seen oil workers killed and companies pulling out employees also had some analysts predicting the contract would top $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-October. However, the contract has been slipping since Monday as traders apparently deemed the fears had pushed prices too high. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, continued to rise, up 2 cents at $111.58 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London. Related links: Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |